The Duke Blue head coach has been suspended due to a misunderstanding, which is unbelievable news…
The Duke Blue head coach has been suspended due to a misunderstanding, which is unbelievable news…
No. 7 Duke’s Paolo Banchero got off to a typical start on Tuesday night, but Michael Savarino was not present for the team’s 92-52 victory over Gardner-Webb at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But Savarino’s teammates FaceTimed him about the incident just after the victory was assured.
He was prohibited from being physically with them due to his DWI arrest over the weekend. Savarino’s roommate, Duke junior Wendell Moore, stated, “Tonight was big for us.
“”Tonight, we wanted to perform for Sav. I thought we truly made him proud when we came out. Savarino was driving a car owned by Banchero early on Sunday morning when he was accused of driving while intoxicated.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Banchero and Savarino were stopped by state Highway Patrol officers at 1:10 a.m. on Sunday, and he now faces a lesser charge of aiding and abetting a DWI. While Savarino, 20, was detained and charged with DWI, 19-year-old Banchero was charged and released at the scene.
His reading on the breathalyzer was 0.08. Savarino, the grandson of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, was a walk-on before being placed on scholarship this season. Due to his arrest, Savarino’s driver’s license was suspended. Krzyzewski and Duke authorities did not explicitly state that Savarino was suspended. But because of his arrest, he is no longer participating in team activities.
His Orange County court dates are set for December 8 and December 9. The circumstances were deemed “a violation of our standards” by Krzyzewski. According to Moore, the group cooperated to keep the distraction from interfering with their performance. Together with senior Joey Baker, Moore led the team.
“Everything was handled internally,” he stated. Thus, whatever occurs between us remains between us. He’s doing fantastically. All we need to do is keep playing hard and advance to the next round. Moore claimed he could tell Savarino was “really happy for all of us” during their FaceTime conversation following the victory. His only concern is that we should succeed, and that’s all. That will alleviate his discomfort.
That’s what we did for him tonight. We are eager for him to return. If Banchero departs Duke after this season as anticipated, he is expected to be selected in the NBA Draft lottery. For No. 7 Duke (4-0), he has been averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds so far this season.
Against Gardner-Webb, he pulled down eight rebounds and scored ten points. Of the three players Duke made available for interviews after the game, he was not one of them. Banchero’s roommate, Trevor Keels, a freshman guard for Duke, said Banchero “was in the right headspace” to handle the matter appropriately.
He performed well in class. He played well in the pregame. Really, he didn’t alter at all, according to Keels. According to Krzyzewski, Savarino and Banchero received varying degrees of discipline because the charges against them were “two entirely different situations.”
The first edition of this tale was released at 7:00 PM on November 16, 2021. Call Steve Wiseman at 919-419-6671. Since 2010, Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics for the Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun. He finished in the top 10 for beat writing in 2019, 2021, and 2022, breaking news in 2019, and explanatory writing in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest in 2018. Previously, Steve covered beats for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics, and the South Carolina General Assembly for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer, and Hickory (NC) Daily Record.
He has multiple state-level press organization honors under his belt. In 1989, Steve received his degree from Illinois State University. Bring Us Along All the local stories you want, updated in real time, right into your palm. OBSERVER APP VIEW NEWSLETTERS & RALEIGH NEWS SUBSCRIBIONS Launch a Subscription Customer Support Program Get Edition Triangle Right Now Take a vacation. Pay Your Bill DISCOVER MORE About Us Get in touch with us Newsletters Archives of Legal Notices Bet on Sports Reviews of Personal Finances MARKETING McClatchy Public Relations Post a Classified Ad: Celebrations Post a Tributary Employment Solutions Advocacy and Political Advertising in the McClatchy Media
